Rooms With Mirrors
by Race122VE
Summary: When they do talk, it's always in a room with mirrors. One shot written for the Glee Rare Pairs Exchange.


**Title:** Rooms With Mirrors  
><strong>Author:<strong> Race122VE (Coll)  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> Quinn Fabray/Mike Chang  
><strong>Rating:<strong> G  
><strong>Summary:<strong> When they _do_ talk, it's always in a room with mirrors.  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 3,421  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.  
><strong>Note:<strong> Written for Glee Rare Pairs exchange. Had this prompt and kind of wrote around it: "Mike/Quinn: 'You think you know your possibilities, then other people come into your life and suddenly there are so many more.'"

Mike Chang has always been just _there_.

Oh her first day of school, with her new clothes, new nose, new _identity_, Quinn Fabray gets overwhelmed with how easy it is to just be this new person, to fool all these people into thinking that she's something she's not, and ducks into the first door she sees to catch her breath. She closes the door behind her and sinks to the ground, taking in deep breaths to keep herself calm as she reminds herself over and over again that she's not the pudgy loser anymore. She's pretty and destined to be the most popular girl in this school.

"Are you okay?"

It's a small, tentative voice that asks the question, but Quinn jumps anyway when she looks up and sees a tall, skinny, Asian boy across the room.

A dance room, she observes when her gaze breaks away from him and looks at the mirrors and high bars. She took dance classes when she decided it was time to drop the weight, but then she realized she had to move on to gymnastics if she wanted to have a shot at being the head cheerleader.

Her eyes fall back on the boy. His breath is heavy and his tank top shows that he's been sweating as the veins in his semi muscular arms pop slightly.

He'd been dancing.

"Should I…call the nurse…?"

The second question snaps her back to reality. Quinn takes in a deep breath and that's all it takes. She sees the way her snapping back into her persona affects the boy. He frowns slightly and actually steps back even though he's all the way across the room. She pushes herself up to her feet, smoothes out her dress and quirks an eyebrow.

"I'm fine," her voice is hard and firm and the boy swallows audibly as her eyes run up and down his body and around the room once more. "Is this a dance studio?"

His hands clench and unclench nervously as he shifts his weight back and forth. "Um…"

"I don't know who you are, and I don't really care," she starts off icily. "But if you want a chance of making it out of here…don't let _anyone_ catch you dancing again."

"I wasn't-"

He tries to protest, but Quinn's already out the door.

Some people would call what she just did cruel. Quinn thinks it's the nicest thing she'll do before she rises to the top.

**xxxxx**

Image is everything, especially in high school, and she just saved that skinny, Asian boy's rep.

Rising to the top is easy.

Staying there and trying not to be bored to tears is the hard part.

Every day is the same thing: school, Cheerios, boyfriend, torturing Rachel Berry, more Cheerios, more of the same old, repetitive crap that she's been dealing with since her first day at this dump. Quinn had been looking for _something_ to focus on. Something new, different, a way to shake things up.

Glee Club was perfect. It was a way to keep up with Finn, keep an eye on Rachel and, though she would never admit it (not even to Brittany and Santana who obviously felt the same way she did), she actually liked singing and dancing and not having to worry about her image.

But then Puck happened and now she's pregnant, a social outcast, and all she has is the Glee Club and the shadow of her former self creeping closer over her shoulder.

The lies continued to keep piling up until everything came out at once. Mr. Schuester found out about his wife wanting her baby, Finn found out he wasn't the father, and Quinn found herself homeless and completely alone.

Well, Puck tells her he wants to be with her, to help her with this whole thing, but she's not ready. Rachel just told Finn and the bruises on Puck's face are still fresh from where Finn's fists landed and she just can't.

Quinn's walking away from him, tears threatening to fall, but she won't break in public. She knows she'll pull herself back up eventually so she has to save face for now. She enters the first door she sees and can't help but laugh at the feeling of déjà-vu that hits her.

Mike is mid spin when he stops from across the room and faces her.

"Quinn…"

She nods at him, tears finally falling as she laughs a little harder. She walks over to one of the support bars and leans heavily against it, her right hand coming up to rest on her stomach. Mike walks over cautiously and stands next to her, his arm leaning on the bar and brushing against hers slightly.

"Um…are you laughing or crying?"

The question makes her laugh even harder, she turns to look at him and shakes her head. "I don't even know."

The corners of Mike's mouth quirk upwards slightly as Quinn keeps laughing. His hand lifts in the air, tentative and unsure before reaching over and resting on her forearm. Her laughter dies down when he grabs her arm. She looks down at the hand on her stomach and lets out a heavy sigh. "I don't know what I'm going to do, Mike…"

She can feel him tense next to her and she closes her eyes and hates herself a little more. She's already ruined enough lives and now she's burdening the quiet, nice, Asian kid with her giant life problems. Her mouth opens to tell him not to worry about it, and she's about to leave again, but Mike beats her to it.

"I don't know either," he says, almost whispering. "But you've got to feel a little better now, right?"

The head Cheerio, not pregnant Quinn comes out briefly as she opens her eyes and glares over at him. "Why would I feel _better_?"

He jumps a little, but keeps his hand on her arm as he raises his shoulder in a shrug. "Because…you're not lying to anyone anymore."

Her mouth opens to snap back at him when she realizes he's right. Her parents know, even though they kicked her out, and Finn knows the truth and everyone knows everything and she doesn't have to scramble to hide anything anymore. She puffs out a deep breath as she feels the weight lift from her shoulders.

"You're right…" she says, nodding slowly. "I do feel better."

He smiles as he squeezes her arm gently. She gives him one in return, licking at her lips slightly as she pushes off the bar and away from his touch that she can still weirdly feel when she turns to face him again.

"I'm sorry," she tells him, because it feels like the right thing to say. "I'm just…sorry."

Mike frowns a little. "You don't have to be," he assures her. "I know this isn't easy for you."

Quinn hugs herself a little and keeps nodding her head. "Still…Finn quit and I kind of screwed us for Sectionals-"

"It's better this way," he cuts in gently. "Finn deserved the truth."

She looks back at him, still skeptical but he just gives her another smile. "You've got enough on your plate; you don't have to worry about my feelings, Quinn."

Despite what's happening in her life, Quinn can't help but smile back at Mike Chang. Her head ducks and her face feels hot and she finds that she's blushing a little. If Mike notices, he doesn't say anything. He shoves his hands into his pockets and rocks back and forth on his feet.

Quinn clears her throat slightly and nods her head towards the door. "Well…I should go and leave you to…this," she laughs nervously and starts walking towards the door, turning suddenly as she folds her hands behind her back. "Um…thanks, by the way."

"Anytime."

**xxxxx**

If there's one thing being on the Cheerios has taught Quinn that she will forever carry around, it's to be punctual.

So when she walks into the auditorium for booty camp practice, she's not surprised to find she's the first one there.

"Quinn. Hi."

She's also not too surprised that Mike Chang is also there since they have a habit of ending up alone together in rooms with dance floors, high bars, and mirrors.

She drops her duffle bag to the ground and kicks it aside with her foot before spinning. "Hi."

"Welcome back," he tells her quietly, walking over to her and dropping his own bag next to hers. "We missed you."

Quinn gives him a small smile. "You said that the other day."

He shrugs, reaching over and squeezing her arm. "And now I'm saying it again."

There's a slight tingle that travels through her body, starting where he's touching her but Quinn ignores it. She really has no choice but to ignore it. Her senior year was supposed to be about finding herself. When she originally decided that, it needed to be alone. She knew she wouldn't be able to figure herself out with another person so boys were a no.

Ironically, Quinn feels like she found herself, like she knows who she is and what she's supposed to be after seeing that picture of Beth but boys are still off the table.

Also, Mike is in love with Tina.

A long moment goes by with the two of them standing there before she gently pulls her arm out of his grasp and turns to the high bar. He runs a hand through his hair as he walks over to the dance floor, getting down in the middle as he starts to stretch his legs out.

It's awkward. Quinn hates awkward so she decides to strike up a conversation. "So…how's senior year treating you so far?"

She wants to smack herself because she just added to the awkwardness with her stupid question, but it's out there and Mike shrugs a little as he thinks. He thinks for a really long time before finally answering with, "Stressful."

Quinn waits for him to elaborate, but that seems to be all he's willing to offer. She raises her arms above her head and stretches them as she keeps her eyes on him, frowning. "I think we can all agree that this year is pretty stressful."

Mike hops back up to his feet and looks over at her, a skeptical look playing on his face. "I found out I got an A- on my Chemistry test yesterday."

She's not really sure what she's supposed to do with that information. They're in the same Chemistry class and she's pretty sure Mike's grade is one of the higher ones so she just nods. "Okay…"

He shakes his head, looking down at his shoes as he laughs bitterly. "My dad's going to kill me."

The way he says it stirs something in Quinn. She watches him carefully, sees the weight on his shoulders and bites her lip as she tries to think of something to do or say. She feels weird trying to say something to him, because they don't talk a lot and she's not sure if it'll help. Instead, she walks over to him and puts a hand on his shoulder.

His body leans towards her and, as she starts to rub, she can feel the tension in his shoulders. He gives her his Mike Chang half smile that tells her everything's good, but she knows it's not. "I know…" she sighs, not sure if she's overstepping or even if she wants to welcome someone else's problems when she has so many of her own, but she goes on. "I know how hard it is to keep things inside so…if you want to talk, Mike…"

"Talk to you?"

She immediately regrets the offer and tries to back track. "I know we're not close, but…I don't know, you've helped me before…"

"This is different," he tells her, taking a step away and shaking his head. "It's not like…you had a baby and what happened with your parents…parents should be upset about that, not an A-…"

"Mike-"

"I'll be okay," he interrupts, turning to her with a small smile. "But I appreciate you caring."

"It's the least I could do," she says, pulling up her leg behind her back in a stretch. "Especially since you're getting me caught up on what I've missed the first couple weeks."

"Right," he smiles back as he walks back to her, a little bounce in his step. "Speaking of…we should continue with what we started yesterday."

He holds out his hand for her and she takes it, blushing slightly before shrieking as he pulls her into a sudden spin. She's laughing and letting him throw her around before he turns her back into his arms and holds her close. Her hands grip his arms as their laughter dies down and her eyes are staring at his lips.

When she looks up she finds him staring down at her lips too and smiles nervously, laughing as she steps back and runs a hand through her hair. Mike keeps his eyes on her, stepping forward and seems ready to say something when Mr. Schuester comes in with a few of the other Glee kids in tow.

Quinn watches Mike's eyes move from her to Tina. He forces a smile and kisses her gently before she jumps and wraps her arms around his neck. She turns away and runs into Puck. His eyes widen and she can tell he wants to say something about what she told him her first day back.

But he doesn't. He avoids her, like every other time they've seen each other since then and he grabs her arms and moves her aside with a huff.

Quinn closes her eyes and takes a breath.

There's way too much going on inside her head right now so, for the next couple of hours, she's just going to focus on dancing.

The looks Mike gives her after they all line up tells her he plans on doing the same.

**xxxxx**

Columbus, Ohio wasn't what Quinn had planned when she said she was leaving Lima after graduation, but fifty two miles was far enough for her first year. She likes the campus, likes the people and the fact that she hasn't chosen a major yet.

After everything that ended up happening senior year, it's nice to just start over and let go and just live her life.

And Mike Chang is the perfect partner in crime for that.

It was a bit of a shock, finding out that Mike was staying in Ohio. He was applying to schools like Harvard and Stanford and then, at the end of the year, he announced he was going to OSU. He seemed genuinely happy so no one really questioned it and Quinn made it a point to hang out with him during all the freshman mixers.

Turns out they can talk to each other outside of dance studios. They watch football games, they exchange music, they like the same TV shows, and it turns out she can kick his ass in Left 4 Dead 2. She also makes sure to let everyone in her dorm know that Mike's taken. She figures it's the least she could do to ease her guilt since she's been harboring a small crush on him since their first meeting four years ago.

After her Chem. Lab, she makes her way over to the Arts building where Mike spends most of his time. She goes into the studio and frowns when she sees him sitting in the middle of the room, shoulders hunched over and lost in his thoughts.

She takes a few steps forward and he doesn't even look up.

"Mike…?"

He finally looks up at the sound of his voice and turns the corner of his mouth up. "Quinn. Hey."

She drops down next to him, tucking her legs under her and setting her bag aside as she watches him. "Hey," she licks her lips and smoothes out her dress a little, slightly unnerved because if there's one person she can count on for a positive, sunny disposition, it's Mike Chang. "What's up?"

"Tina broke up with me."

It's the last thing she ever expected to hear.

Her mouth goes slack and she's not sure what to say because if there was one high school couple she thought would survive distance, it would be Mike and Tina. She reaches out, rubbing his shoulder softly as he looks back down at his shoes.

Long moments pass and Quinn's still not sure what to do or say so she just waits until, finally, Mike opens his mouth again. "Her and Artie are getting back together."

Her hand stills. "Oh…Mike…"

"I knew when they were together the feelings were strong but…I ignored them," he starts slowly, his tone even and oddly calm. "All she talked about was Artie and I didn't think anything of it. I mean, I talked about you because we spend a lot of time together just like them…"

Quinn slowly takes her hand back, swallowing audibly as her eyes scan his face. "Tina said I talked about you a lot, actually. She said she didn't realize how close we were," Mike pauses, finally looking back up at her. "I didn't even realize how close we are but…we are and when Tina said we shouldn't see each other anymore I told her it was okay."

It's Quinn that looks away this time, trying to hide the slight flush in her cheeks as she laughs nervously and shakes her head. "Mike…"

He shifts, sliding closer and dipping his head down so he can catch her eye. "Don't try to come up with excuses, Quinn," he says. "There's been something between us for a long time that we've both ignored."

"No-"

"_Yes_," he tells her forcefully. "We've always ended up alone together in moments when we really needed someone. That's not an accident."

"Stop…"

But he doesn't stop. In fact he takes it one step forward, grabbing her chin and leaning in. Their lips touch briefly and Quinn's eyes flutter shut as her breath catches in her throat. He stays close and she feels his tongue lightly flick out to lick his own lips. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."

She laughs, opening her eyes and meeting his dark brown ones as she admits lowly, "I think I might have some idea…"

He smiles and sighs, relieved as he leans back in, but Quinn pulls back and rests her hand on his shoulder. "Mike," she whispers. "This isn't a good idea…"

Mike gives her his cute little pout and she can't help but smile and shake her head, cutting him off before he can argue with her. "You and Tina _just_ broke up and I don't want to ruin our friendship…"

"Tina and I both decided that it wasn't working anymore and that it hadn't been working for a while," he tells her with a knowing smirk. "And our friendship won't be ruined."

"You don't know that."

"I do though," he argues with a smile. "We're way too awesome to let a breakup affect us."

Quinn rolls her eyes, but laughs in spite of herself. She ducks her head, pushing her hair back as she looks back up at him. "It's way too soon-"

"You're right," he sighs a little, but is still confident as he nods decisively. "So…we won't date. We'll keep doing what we've been doing and see what happens."

Quinn bites her lip and tries to keep a straight face. "And what have we been doing so far?"

"What most couples do," he says as he moves away from her, sitting back on his hands. "Minus the sex."

Her eyes roll as she looks back at him. "It's all about the sex with guys."

"It's true," Mike nods, laying all the way back on the floor and linking his fingers behind his head. "It's all we think about and it's the only reason I talk to you."

In spite of herself, she laughs and move to lay next to him, crossing her ankle as her head rests against his bicep. "Well, at least you're honest."

Mike laughs a little, sliding closer as he brings his hand down to rest on her shoulder. "So…want to go on a not-date with me tonight?"

"You mean hang out like we've been doing?" Quinn looks up at him as her hand comes up and rests on top of his. "I'd love to."


End file.
